20 things you probably never knew about Scotland's National Bard.
- After
Queen Victoria and Christopher Columbus, Robert Burns has more statues
dedicated to him around the world than any other non-religious figure.
- J.D.
Salinger’s famous 1951 novel ‘Catcher in the Rye’ based its title from a
poem by Robert Burns ‘Comin' Thro' the Rye’.
- The
Soviet Union was the first country in the world to honour Burns with a
commemorative stamp, marking the 160th anniversary of his death in 1956.
- A
translation of ‘My Hearts in the Highlands’ was adopted as the marching
song of the Chinese resistance fighters in the Second World War.
- American music legend Bob Dylan selected
Burns' 1794 song 'A Red, Red Rose' when asked for the source of his
greatest creative inspiration.
- A
statue of Burns in Camperdown, Australia, is thought to be the oldest
existing statue of the poet anywhere in the world. The sculpture, carved
by John Greenshields in 1826, was shipped to Australia in the 1850s.
- John
Steinbeck took the title of his 1937 novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ from a line
contained in Burns' poem ‘To a Mouse’: ‘The best laid schemes o’ mice an’
men / Gang aft agley’.
- Burns’ song of equality and universal
brotherhood ‘Is there for Honest Poverty’ (also known as 'A Man's A Man
for a' That') was chosen as the anthem to open the new Scottish Parliament
in 1999.
- A
miniature book of Robert Burns' poetry was carried into orbit by astronaut
Nick Patrick on a two week space mission in 2010, completing a 5.7 million
mile trip and 217 orbits of the Earth
- ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is recognised by the
Guinness Book of World Records as being one of the top three most popular
songs in the English language. The other two are ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘For
he’s a jolly good fellow’.
- The
city of Atlanta, Georgia, has a life-size replica of the Alloway cottage
that Burns was born in. It was built by the Burns Club of Atlanta in 1911.
- Robert Burns was the first ever person to
appear on a commemorative bottle of Coca-Cola, in 2009.
- The Mitchell Library in Glasgow is thought
to house the world’s largest Burns collection, including translations of
the poet’s works in more than 30 languages.
- American president Abraham Lincoln had a
lifelong admiration for the work of Robert Burns, with some claiming that
the poet’s verse played a key role in helping Lincoln win the American
civil war and abolish slavery.
- The work of Burns has appeared in hundreds
of films and television programmes, including ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
(1946), ‘When Harry met Sally’ (1989) and the 2008 film version of ‘Sex in
the City’.
- US fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger claims
direct descent from Robert Burns.
- Burns body was exhumed in 1815 to be placed
in a new mausoleum in Dumfries. Whilst his body was above ground, a
plaster cast of his skull was taken for study. The skull was measured and
discovered to be bigger than the average man's.
- The town of Mosgiel, near Dunedin, New
Zealand was named after Robert Burns' farm in Ayrshire.
- Burns fathered at least 12 children with
four different women during his short 37 year lifetime. His youngest
child, Maxwell, was born on the day of his funeral.
- Pop singer Michael Jackson is said to have
been a big fan of Robert Burns and is reputed to have worked on an as yet
unreleased album setting the Bard's poems to music.
